'The flight from public schools'

World Net Daily ^ | 26 Oct 02

[ConservativeDude]

vision forum has really made a big difference to me in my life. May God bless their work.

[ladylib]

In Arkansas last year, homeschooling rose by 11%. Public school enrollment rose by 1%. A homeschooling fair in Arkansas attracted 10,000 people, many of them young parents with children in strollers. The interest is growing.

Other parents are leaving the public schools to start their own private schools or charter schools. People want choice today. The ones who went to school in the 70's and 80's are now beginning to realize what a crummy education they generally received in the public schools. They want something better for their children.

Wait until the kids who went to the indoctrination centers in the 90's have their children.

[ConservativeDude]

our kids are less than 3 yrs. old, but I have already told my wife many times that i wish I could have had the education that they are going to get....not to mention the freedom, flexibility, etc.

[schu]

We just started this fall; the results to date have been amazing. Previously my 9 year old was enrolled in a private school.

In the first 4 weeks they accomplished more than they would have in 2 months in private school, and that was just starting out. There are so many resources out there; there is a lot to choose from.

Best of all, my daughter has adjusted beautifully, she is more relaxed and has more fun, she loves it. She is reading and writing and practicing math all the time, not just during school hours. We are very happy with our decision.

[Kosh5]

I have observed the same thing. We have HS'd for 5+ years now, and I have observed a very large influx of younger families in both support groups and at state conventions.

Interestingly, there appears to have developed two separate HS subcultures. You have the old-timers who generally have high-school aged children, plus or minus a couple of years. They have perspectives on school, faith, and interaction that are wholly different from the "younger generation". Some of this appears to be where they are in the process (they have older children), but some of it also appears to be the result of a different outlook on HS'ing.

I think that a great many people are going to be surprised in the near future at a sudden explosion in HS'ing. Some states are already seeing it. States like Ohio that require notification already see it. Other states do not have mandatory notification requirements - they will be the most surprised.

If you want to know how well known the phenomena is - listen for shrill warnings from the liberal educational establishment. THEY know what is going on and where it may be headed.

HS'ing is becoming very popular. It seems to start with the educational inadequacies of the public school system. It then turns into a values issue - values are caught, not taught - and the people with the most face time have the most influence. For many, it also has a faith aspect - for the same reason as values.

Lots of reasons to HS. Only a few not to. What more needs to be said???

[SUSSA]

You still miss the point. But as to your contention that Beverly Hills is a bastion of conservatism, tell me who is their congressman? Some of the biggest liberals in the country are the rich. You may not read about that at DU but they are. Bill Clinton and Gray Davis raised millions from the conservatives in Beverly Hills.

Now let me explain one last time. Government schools are socialist institutions. If you have kids in government schools you are on welfare and others are subsidizing your lifestyle. You can spin it any way you like but the fact is you are on welfare just like the crack queen in the projects.

Earlier you posted: Lowell in SF is probably THE most elite public school in the country - the entrance exam looks like something you'd see at MIT.)

The reason Lowell can get away with such a tough entrance exam is because there are more people trying to get in than there is room for. That is called the free market working. These people must think it is worth the money to send their kids there instead of to government school. I would guess it is because the school is academically superior to the government schools in their upper middle class neighborhoods.

Whatever the reason, these people, and millions like them, are accepting their responsibility instead of pushing it off on their neighbors. As more and more people flee the government schools the tax support will erode. People who are paying for free market schools will vote against tax increases to support the government schools.

It will happen in the middle class school districts first because these schools are failing the fastest. Nationally they even had to make the SAT test easier because the scores were falling every year. Places like New Jersey and Mass that had the best government schools in the country in two generations ago are below the national average now.

These states take money from the “rich” schools and send it to the poor districts. This trend is spreading. We even have it in Texas and it is harder to get people to vote for school tax increases now because they can see the money going elsewhere.

There is also a growing number of seniors. As the baby boomers get near retirement they see their property taxes growing faster than their income. They see friends and neighbors have to move when they retire because they can’t afford the school taxes. This is starting to get more seniors interested in cutting the school tax and getting seniors to vote against school taxes. Hopefully, this trend will escalate. As the population ages seniors will out vote the teachers unions and welfare sponges and we will start to starve the beast.

No matter why people turn against having the government in the education business it is a good thing. The government should not do anything the private sector can do. Government schools have no place in a free society. They are one of the first socialist institutions that needs to be ripped out by the roots.

[SUSSA]

BTW to save you from looking it up the arch conservative Waxman is the congressman from Beverly Hills.

[ladylib]

Look at what Ohio is doing. They know it's a losing battle, so this year, they contacted all registered homeschoolers and offered them on-line courses. They are doing this to try to salvage state aid I imagine. Other states are doing the same.

DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID.

[karlamayne]

bttt

[Countrymom]

My husband and I are going to start homeschooling our two children for many reasons. Here is one...My son told us about a girl who asked him if he knew what "french kissing was?". My child is seven years old and in the 2nd grade mind you. The girl is in his class. She proceeded to give him all the details behind this act. Is this the socilization we want our kids to have today. Yes it is "Reality" but we can stop it. What are seven year old kids getting this information for and why do they need it at this age? This is NOT GOOD socialization.